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LA Paper Retracts CAIR Smear

CA NEWSPAPER CORRECTS DEFAMATION OF CAIR OFFICIAL (ANAHEIM, CA, 3/30/07) - The Southern California office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations

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, Mar 31 3:53 PM

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CA NEWSPAPER CORRECTS DEFAMATION OF CAIR OFFICIAL

(ANAHEIM, CA, 3/30/07) - The Southern California office of the Council
on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today welcomed a decision by a
Los Angeles-area newspaper to correct false allegations about the
civil rights and advocacy group's executive director.

The Acorn newspaper recently published a correction, which stated: "A
letter by Shari Goodman in the Feb. 1 Acorn incorrectly states that
Hussam Ayloush - executive director of the Southern California Council
on American-Islamic relations (CAIR) - co-hosted a 1998 event. . .at
which anti-Semitic remarks were made. Neither CAIR nor Ayloush
co-hosted the event and Ayloush was not in attendance."

The action came in response to a letter from CAIR-LA's attorney Masood
Khan requesting the correction.

"I thank The Acorn newspaper for its prompt action in publishing a
correction," Khan said. "I also hope that this correction sends a
message to those who wish to marginalize American Muslims that
inventing defamatory 'facts' has no place in our society."

In a statement, CAIR-LA said:

"We welcome the Acorn's decision to make this correction. The original
false statement followed an unfortunate recent trend of attempting to
silence American Muslims and Islamic groups through vicious smear
campaigns based on distortions and fabrications.

"CAIR and its officials would never support an event that promoted
anti-Semitism or any other form of racism or bigotry. In fact CAIR has
in the past condemned anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial.

"We urge journalists, policy-makers and other people of conscience to
examine the veracity of potentially defamatory information and the
agendas promoted by the sources of questionable materials."

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 chapters
nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding
of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower
American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual
understanding.